A bill intended to help offset the environmental impact of ultra-fast fashion products sold by companies like China's Shein was approved by the lower house of parliament in France on Thursday.
The bill prohibits advertising for such products and calls for gradually increasing fines up to 10 euros ($11) per individual article of clothing by 2030.
The bill was unanimously approved by all legislators who cast votes; it now goes to the senate to become law.
While established players like Zara and H&M continue to largely rely on predicting shoppers' preferences, the rise in popularity of fashion retailers Shein and Temu has upended the retail sector. Temu and Shein use extremely flexible supply chains to scale up orders based on demand.
"Buying impulses and a constant need for renewal are being created by the apparel sector's evolution towards ephemeral fashion, which is combining increased volumes and low prices. This has consequences for the environment, society, and economy," the bill stated.
In a statement to Reuters, Shein claimed that because the clothing it makes is in high demand, its rate of unsold inventory is constantly in the low single digits, while traditional competitors may have up to 40% waste.
"Worsen the purchasing power of French consumers, at a time when they are already feeling the impact of the cost-of-living crisis," it continued, was the bill's sole effect.
The bill is a "major step forward," according to French Environment Minister Christophe Béchu, who also noted that "a big step has been taken to reduce the textile sector's environmental footprint" in a post on X.
Outdoor gear company Patagonia, with headquarters in California, promotes "repair, reuse, and recycle" among its customers. Since 1993, they have acted as role models by employing materials composed of recycled bottles, among other materials.
In an attempt to address the growing issue of textile waste, the French environment ministry announced today that it will put forth a proposal for a ban on the export of used clothing within the European Union.
The nation started a repair program last year to encourage people to fix their worn-out shoes and clothing instead of throwing them away. The initiative, which reimburses consumers up to 25 euros ($27.20) for each item of clothing they have repaired, received a pledge of 154 million euros ($168 million) from the French government. According to Refashion, the non-profit organization in charge of overseeing the program, 3.3 billion articles of apparel, house linens, and shoes were sold in France in 2022. Two-thirds of the 700,000 tons of clothing that French people discard annually wind up in landfills, according to the country's ecology ministry at the time.